Suresh Garimella was the 27th president of the University of Vermont. Under his leadership UVM pursued the Amplifying our Impact strategic vision, underscoring its reputation as a premier flagship research university dedicated to providing a world-class student experience and committed to fulfilling its land-grant mission.
Dr. Garimella was appointed president in 2019. Throughout his time at UVM, he prioritized access and affordability for students. The university froze tuition for all students during his first five years, while attracting record numbers of undergraduate applications. President Garimella emphasized UVM’s special commitment to Vermonters, extending the tuition freeze for in-state students to a sixth year and introducing a program called the UVM Promise that makes students from more than half of Vermont’s families eligible for four years of full-tuition coverage. At UVM, he annually led an undergraduate seminar class at UVM devoted to engaging students in civil discourse on multifaceted contemporary issues.
Garimella was an enthusiastic leader for UVM’s research enterprise, leading a collaborative effort that more than doubled external funding over 2018 levels, surpassing a quarter billion dollars for three consecutive years and significantly raising UVM’s ranking among national research universities. Recognizing that UVM’s success is inextricably tied to the success of Vermont, President Garimella also worked to build partnerships with elected officials and government leaders to identify shared priorities that advanced the interests of the state and the university.
In October 2024, Dr. Garimella became the 23rd president of the University of Arizona. Prior to his term at UVM, Garimella was Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships at Purdue University.
Garimella received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, his MS from The Ohio State University, and his bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
The UVM Board of Trustees recognized Dr. Garimella as president emeritus in 2024.